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If population trends continue like they have since 1990, people age 65 and older are expected to number 78 million in 2035, while children under 18 will number 76.4 million.

According to the Census data, Americans are having fewer children, and the baby boom of the 1950s and 1960s has yet to be repeated. Fewer babies, plus longer life expectancy brought on by advancements in medicine, equals, yes, an ever-expanding American bald spot.

International migration has helped stave off a more rapidly aging population, like is seen in Japan and Europe, where the senior population here has bee growing for quite some time.

According to PBS, from 1990 to 2000, Americans 65 and older grew as a demographic by 12 percent, up to 35 million. In 2016, there were 49.2 million residents aged 65 and older, compared to 73.6 million children under 18.

So what comes after the graying of the country’s population, aside from the boom in retail and dining discounts? An much bigger need for assisted living facilities coupled by even more strain on the social security system. Then, as the older population turns into a dying one, comes population decline, according to the Census Bureau.

Japan, where more than one in four people are at least 65, has the oldest population on the planet, and its population has already started to decline. By 2050, the population of Japan is projected to shrink by more than 20 million people. Countries in Eastern Europe with older populations are also projected to begin shrinking in the coming years.